News - Falkirk families encouraged to apply for Best Start Grant – School Age Payment before 28th February deadline

<!DOCTYPE html>      <html lang="en">   <head><title> News - Falkirk families encouraged to apply for Best Start Grant – School Age Payment before 28th February deadline | Falkirk Council </title><meta charset="utf-8" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/site-data/css/fc.min.css?version=07d0ea7f1da97ee6adbed891d1673dc5a79717f8" media="screen" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/site-data/css/print.min.css" media="print" /><link rel="shortcut icon" href="/site-data/img/icons/favicon.ico" /><link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="/site-data/img/mobile/touch-icon-ipad-retina.png" /><link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114x114" href="/site-data/img/mobile/touch-icon-iphone-retina.png" /><meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, width=device-width" /> <link href="https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/news/article.aspx?aid=7904" rel="canonical" /><meta name="Description" content="News and information about Falkirk Council" /><meta name="Keywords" content="falkirk, council, news, press, releases, articles" />     <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/article-image?photo=3467&article=7904"/><meta property="og:image:alt" content="children school age payment"/><meta property="og:title" content="Falkirk families encouraged to apply for Best Start Grant – School Age Payment before 28th February deadline"/><meta property="og:description" content="Falkirk families encouraged to apply for Best Start Grant – School Age Payment before 28th February deadline"/><meta property="og:type" content="website"/><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/news/article.aspx?aid=7904"/></head> <body id="T_FC_pBody" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/WebPage"> <form name="aspnetForm" method="post" action="./article.aspx?aid=7904" id="aspnetForm"> <div> <input type="hidden" name="__VIEWSTATE" id="__VIEWSTATE" value="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" /> </div> <div> <input type="hidden" name="__VIEWSTATEGENERATOR" id="__VIEWSTATEGENERATOR" value="B91CDDC3" /> <input type="hidden" name="__EVENTTARGET" id="__EVENTTARGET" value="" /> <input type="hidden" name="__EVENTARGUMENT" id="__EVENTARGUMENT" value="" /> <input type="hidden" name="__EVENTVALIDATION" id="__EVENTVALIDATION" value="cCAi3jiFsOeAJSBKAx1ofwAG0Ge+pVReW+U8r0AVOQg8na+1rU2dvZ76dCGNPt+f5A5ONp1//cICyO+RF0FHy+3OoVhoxblyLxYxdaqOzJev+1caIQh7+3+n0ds0AH1At+HMT009ML2stXjly051iA==" /> </div> <div id="topper" role="navigation" aria-label="Site Tools"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-12"> <ul id="topper-nav"> <li><a href="#content" class="ping" data-analytics-category="nav-skip-content" accesskey="s">Skip to content</a></li> <li><a href="/help" title="Get help using our website">Help</a></li> <li><a href="/services/az.aspx" accesskey="3" title="A-Z - 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School Age Payment</a> before the application deadline on 28th February 2025.</div> <p>This one-off payment, which has increased to £314.45, is available to families with children born between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020 and can be used to cover school-related expenses such as books, school bags, clothing, and other essentials.</p> <h2>Who Can Apply?</h2> <p>Parents and guardians who receive qualifying benefits, such as Universal Credit, are encouraged to check their eligibility and apply before the deadline. Applications can be made online, ensuring families do not miss out on this financial support.</p> <p>Falkirk Council Leader, <strong>Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn</strong> said: “We know that the cost of starting school can be challenging for many families.</p> <p>“The Best Start Grant School Age Payment is a valuable resource that can help ease financial pressures and ensure children have everything they need for a positive start to their education. I encourage all eligible families to apply before the deadline.”</p> <h2>Additional Support for Families</h2> <p>The Best Start Grant School Age Payment is part of a broader package of five family payments from Social Security Scotland, designed to provide financial support during key stages of a child's early years, and include:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.mygov.scot/using-your-best-start-foods-card">Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment </a>– a one-off payment of up to £754.65 available from 24 weeks of pregnancy until a baby turns six months for families receiving certain benefits.</li> <li><a href="https://www.mygov.scot/using-your-best-start-foods-card">Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment </a>– a one-off payment of £314.45 for families receiving qualifying benefits, available when a child is between two years and three years and six months.</li> <li><a href="https://www.mygov.scot/using-your-best-start-foods-card">Best Start Foods</a> – a pre-paid card to help families on certain benefits buy healthy food from pregnancy until a child turns three. Payment amounts vary by the child’s age</li> <li><a href="https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment">Scottish Child Payment</a> – a weekly payment of £26.70 per child under 16 for families receiving certain benefits. Families already receiving the Scottish Child Payment will automatically receive the Best Start Grant School Age Payment.</li> </ul> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <aside id="page-aside"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-3"> <div><img src="/site-data/img/social/twitter.png" alt="Twitter logo" class="twitter-logo"/></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/FalkirkCouncil" class="btn btn-default btn-xs">Follow @FalkirkCouncil</a></div> </div> <div class="col-sm-3"> <div><img src="/site-data/img/social/facebook.png" alt="Facebook logo" class="twitter-logo"/></div><div><a href="https://facebook.com/FalkirkCouncil" class="btn btn-default btn-xs">Follow FalkirkCouncil</a></div> </div> <div class="col-sm-3"> <div><img src="/site-data/img/social/youtube.png" alt="YouTube logo" class="twitter-logo"/></div><div><a href="https://youtube.com/FalkirkCouncil" class="btn btn-default btn-xs">Follow FalkirkCouncil</a></div> </div> <div class="col-sm-3"> <div><img 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